paul ryan, pictures of him working out, famous for his p90x routine. those pictures are controversial in their own right as well. that's it for me. thanks for watching, everyone. "cnn newsroom" continues now with one very special brooke baldwin who is going to take the torch with those pictures to lead her off. hi, brooke. >> bless her heart as we say in the south. ashleigh banfield, thank you so much. good to be with you all on this big day, debate day here. i'm brooke baldwin. let's jump right in, shall we? we are seven hours from debate number two. let me show you the president, a lot of pressure on him tonight. here he is, barack obama, arriving in new york, he will square off tonight with mitt romney. we caught the president taking a stroll this morning. let's just dip in and listen. >> mr. president, are you ready for tonight? how you feeling about tonight? >> i feel fabulous. it is a beautiful day. >> so the president is feeling fabulous.

and that is a bit of a contrast to what he said before debate number one. remember that? he complained to reporters that his aides had him holed up, cramming and in the president's words, it was a drag. well, we know how that went. on the flip side, here's mitt romney. romney boarding the plane from boston. he is to arrive at hofstra right about an hour from now. this time around, romney will not have the benefit of diminished expectations. before the first debate, respondents to a poll, they chose obama to win by a really huge margin. remember that? 51% to 29%. let me say it again. we know how that went. this time, as you see, the expectations have narrowed. dana bash is live for us now on the campus of hofstra university. and, dana, i promise we'll talk about the debate here in a moment. but i do want to take a look at this poll that kind of made me rock my head back this morning. this is the usa today/gallup

poll, even steven among women that is in 12 swing states. dana, we have seen the president running far ahead of mitt romney among female voters. in fact, different picture here, look at the nationwide polls and obama is still leading romney among women by seven points or more. what accounts for this jump toward romney among women in the 12 swing states, any clue? >> it is hard to answer that without getting what they say -- they call in the business cross tax, the inside numbers in gallup polls to be able to know why the women who said that they are more supportive of mitt romney said that, whether it is his economic positions, whether it was his performance on the debate or something else. but what i can tell you is that other polls also talking about -- or talking to voters in swing states are, you know, less favorable to mitt romney and still is a pretty big gender gap, even in swing states, in

the washington post poll and the politico, george washington university poll. but it is important to point this out because gallup is -- didn't just start polling yesterday. they are reputable polling organization. and it has become a little bit of a football between the campaigns of the obama campaign, as you can imagine, coming out and questioning the methodology, the poll saying this doesn't make any sense and the romney campaign saying we think this is very important and good news for us because we have said this so many times, brooke, you and i, the female vote and the gender gap in particular, because the female vote is so important, is one of the biggest problems that republicans in general historically have, but especially for mitt romney right now. >> huge, we'll talk more about the lady voters later this hour. dana, at this hour, what is the word on debate preparations? >> reporter: it is all quiet on the debate front, which is kind of typical for these few hours leading up to the big event. what these candidates tend to do

and our understanding is they're doing exactly this now is just trying to get as much r and r as they can, kind of try to let loose a little bit, spend time with their family, that is certainly the case, our understanding, from romney sources is that he is spending time with his five adult sons, they are here with him, and he's going to be here, just to kind of get a sense of the stage, the feel of the room, and about an hour he'll do a walk-through. i believe unfortunately that's close to the press and won't be able to see it. president obama, we saw marine one, his helicopter land in the last hour. he's here after having the three days of intense, intense debate preparations as you said, much different from the last time around and by all accounts, he has been different in terms of his focus inside these debate preparations. look, any politician, highly competitive person ands that true for barack obama.

he knows he got his clock cleaned last time around. that was the perception and the perception among his supporters and that's why he feels he's got to come back and that's who sources who are working with him are telling us. >> competitive, yes, we can actually see inside the town hall, the inside the building behind you. let's paint this picture. we have seen the pictures, you have the voters who sit around the circle, these are the ones that ask the questions. candy crowley will be out there moderating. you know, point being, with this format, this say whole different dynamic from debate number one. >> reporter: a whole different dynamic. and sources in both parties say that has led to a different kind of debate prep. for first one it was just the moderator. in these mock debate sessions that each camp has, they have -- the president or mitt romney sitting next to the person playing their opponent and moderator tossing questions. not so with the town hall, they have people asking questions as if they're voters. what everybody who i talked to who have prepped candidates,

john mccain four years ago, george w. bush and president obama as well, what everybody says, the key, especially after that first town hall, 20 years ago, 1992, bill clinton set the bar, he is to connect with the voter asking the question, to really approach them, make a connection, ask them a question back perhaps if it makes sense, not just answer the question and blow them off and move on. that, especially, for somebody like mitt romney, who is trying to sort of shed that out of touch reputation that the democrats have put on him, that that is definitely what he's going to try to focus on big time. >> talk to them, talk to them, not talk at them. dana bash, we thank you. we will see you a little later for sure. we were talking about the numbers, the numbers show how neck and neck this presidential race is. and the campaigns know ohio is a key swing state. the president just edging out mitt romney by 3 percentage points, this is our cnn poll of

polls. but in stark county, ohio, when things are this close, the undecided vote could be crucial. voters here have chosen the white house winner six of the last seven times and cnn's miguel marquez paid a visit to the folks in this battleground county. >> reporter: this is stark county, ohio, a front line in this battleground state. it is so close it tracks state and national voting patterns, this place puts the bell in bellwether. today he's putting in winter wheat. like most people here, he takes politics pretty seriously. may i ask who you're voting for? >> yes. >> reporter: who are you voting for? >> i won't tell you. >> reporter: like many, von is sick of political gridlock. he says the country's problems so serious, it makes voting more important and tougher than ever. >> a lot of people are hurting today. a lot of people need relief. and i'm not too sure the election is going to give it no matter who gets elected. that's the problem. >> reporter: stark county has

seen the worst of the recession and the best of the recovery. unemployment here shot up to more than 13% at the height of the great recession, it has now plummeted to less than 7%. von, like stark county and ohio, survived by changing. he turned over the business to his kids and son-in-law. he made changes to the old family farm. boy, did he ever. a fourth of the yearly income comes from a few weeks in the fall when the farm, now a market in winery, is transformed in a country fun fair. >> you have to be diversified enough to weather the storm, but can't dilute yourself so much you're not effective. >> reporter: a delicate balance that makes ohio ohio. >> ohio is number one at practically nothing, but exceedingly above average at many, many things. >> reporter: how quickly can one shred a car? >> 30 minutes.

>> reporter: this is a state of the art scrap yard. the boss here, ed, slessnic, voted obama in 2008. he says this year, it is a tougher choice. >> this year i am truly an independent voter. and looking at the first debate and very keen on looking at the next two debates. >> reporter: a year ago his yard could barely keep up with demand. two months ago, he saw orders plummet. is it a matter of hearing what they want to do or how are they going to accomplish it? >> i would say bh in that question. but more importantly, how are they going to accomplish it with a $16 trillion deficit. >> all good questions. miguel marquez joini ining me n. we know you can work a tractor. what more can you tell us about the voters who, you know, will be watching this debate tonight. what do they want to hear from the candidates? >> reporter: they want to hear how they're going to do it. they think both candidates have plans they could live with, no

matter who is elected. they can't see how either candidate is going to get it through such a partisan, political atmosphere with congress able to block everything. so they're most concerned with someone who is actually able to lead and someone who can actually bridge the difference and make a deal in washington and get something done because, you know, most voters i talked to here, they were not going to get out of this quickly. but we need a solid plan and they need to know how we get from point a to point b, brooke? >> so nice to hear from voters from folks in ohio. we appreciate that. thank you. a quick reminder to all of you, round two for president obama and mitt romney tonight. cnn's candy crowley is moderating the debate this evening. so tune in, a little early, our special live coverage begins right here on cnn and cnn.com at 7:00 eastern time. hillary clinton suddenly takes responsibility for the attacks in benghazi.

we want to look at the timing of this and also what this means for her final months as secretary of state. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. surprise. one of the men at the center of the infamous bank bailout suddenly steps down. but why? plus, as a teenage girl clings to life, one activist is challenging these two men to address the resurgence of the taliban. and we can fact check all we want. but i'll speak live with one expert who says facts apparently don't matter anymore. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one.

together for your future. ♪ but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer.

but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today.

with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. back to the site of tonight's debate at hofstra university. fell me in, jim, what are they saying? >> reporter: well, brooke, we wanted to talk to them about what to expect at tonight's debate, and while we are being told to wait and see, which is not too surprising, they did highlight some of the things they hope to accomplish tonight. one of the first things they said at the very top of this phone call with a couple of

romney campaign officials is that they expect the president to have the edge tonight. he's after all the president, he engaged in one of the town hall debates with john mccain in 2008. and in the words of these romney campaign officials, the president defeated john mccain soundly in that town hall format four years ago, but they do point out mitt romney does have some advantages coming into tonight. he's held over 100 town halls by their count over the last year. they note that he does directly engage the voters when he gets into the town hall discussions. and they feel like all of that practice has made him more comfortable in this format. they're pretty positive on that. as to what to expect tonight, brooke, they say look for mitt romney to talk about the economy, quote, every chance he gets. and that he does hope to take a question on the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. as we heard from our own cnn foreign affairs reporter, allyse

laffit, she talked to secretary of state hillary clinton and secretary clinton appeared to take responsibility for that attack. mitt romney according to his campaign officials hopes to get a chance to talk about that later on this evening. they say stay tuned on what he will say. they say he also wants to talk about his record as governor of massachusetts, brooke. they're pointing out that mitt romney went into the governor's office there in boston, and in their view governed as a conservative, but with a democratic legislature and they say that shows a record of bipartisanship that offers some guidance to the rest of the country as to how he will, i guess, operate in the oval office. that is what they're looking at for tonight's debate. i think it is going to be a lively discussion, brooke. one of the things i heard from the romney campaign earlier today, they said that mitt romney has been rehearsing with multiple questioners during his debate prep sessions. and so has been gearing up for what is to come tonight. >> okay. we're less than seven hours

away, jim acosta, i appreciate it. jim mentioned hillary clinton specifically and some of the news she's made in the last 24 hours. i want to get to that in a moment here. again, tonight, the president, you know, faces what could be arguably the most important debate of his political career, and it is because of tonight's debate. a lot of pundits are saying hillary clinton is taking one for the team. the secretary of state sat down with cnn's elise labott in lima, peru, last night, and, yes, she took responsibility for last month's attack on the consulate in benghazi that left four americans dead including the u.s. ambassador and brought the obama administration a lot of criticism, so just here is what she told us. >> i take responsibility. i'm in charge of the state department. 60,000 plus people all over the world, 275 posts, the president and the vice president certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals.

>> let's keep talking about this with julian pikue, reporter from the hill. good to see you. certainly not lost in all of this is the timing, the timing of the news, made on the eve before the incredibly important presidential debate. i read this morning in all of the reading that people are going back and forth about this news, somebody was saying this is really just an opportunity for her to give extra breathing room to the president tonight. do you agree? >> well, i mean, as we know, you know we're just hours away from this very important debate and i spoke to four networks last night and told them the same thing, she takes responsibility. so, you know, clearly, i think the general view over here in washington is that she is taking one for the team. now when asked directly is, you know, is she being thrown under the bus, she's saying no. that suggests she's doing this of her own volition, obviously. but she knows the president will

be asked tough questions. tonight is the first debate between the two candidates where foreign policy will be an issue and everybody is expecting benghazi to come up. she's trying to take one for the team. >> as part of the interviews, i wouldn't to play one more clip here this is hillary clinton with elise labott. >> as time has gone on, the information has changed. we have gotten more detail. but that's not surprising. that always happens. and what i want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha. >> so, julian, she says she doesn't want to be part of any political gotcha. this is michael crowley, article in "time" magazine. he points out, even stranger, however, is the position republicans have adopted of defending hillary clinton. the secretary of state has been an arch villain of the republican challengers for decades now, and when it comes to the debate over the security in benghazi, it would seem that the buck should stop with her,

but suddenly it doesn't suit the gop to attack clinton. why is that? >> i think it was really interesting to see how she's approached it herself. you know, she was -- she sent her team to testify at the hearing of the house last week. and was very, you know, told darrell issa she wanted to work with him, this wasn't about politics. i think you can see that on both sides, this idea that the state department is trying to act in an apolitical way. >> what about the republicans, julian? is this a way they would prefer in this, you know, election season they prefer attacking the president versus a woman who has incredibly high favorability ratings, a possible candidate for 2016, it must be strategy as well. >> well, certainly, obviously the presidential election is only, you know, three weeks away. so the main target here is obviously president obama, but, you know, there is also a lot of speculation they're also going

after the state department and going after hillary clinton in case she wants to run in 2016. you have those -- that dual track kind of in parallel. >> what about a u.s. ambassador susan rice who initially said the attacks were apparently the result of the anti-american protests, spun out of control, also on the receiving end of blame, what about her? do you think someone's head will have to roll for this? >> you know, so far we have seen the administration and secretary clinton really stand behind susan rice in an incredible way. and so, you know, initially it seemed like maybe she would be in deep trouble, especially since obviously there is a lot of rumors she's a preferred candidate to be secretary of state herself when hillary clinton steps down at the end of the -- other baend of obama's t. maybe she will survive after all just because everybody is kind of getting behind her and going with the line that that was the

intelligence that the state department had, and she just shared that intelligence without any kind of, you know, political forethought of trying to spin this in any way. that certainly has been the administration's line, that's been hillary clinton's line, and they're all standing by susan rice. so if heads will roll, i don't though it will be hers at this point. now a lot of people are going to be pointing the finger at the midlevel state department bureaucrats in washington, d.c. they're the ones and hillary clinton said the same thing last night, that they have security experts to decide these matters. and, you know, you could see that as kind of almost casting blame on those midlevel people who made those decisions, we learned yesterday at the house hearing that, you know there are requests from the ambassador stevens from other officials in libya, in tripoli, to the state department in d.c. and they were turned down and so, you know, potentially those people who

made those calls and as joe biden said at his debate last week, that information never made it up the food chain to him. so -- >> he was saying we, we. you're right. >> the president. >> fingers will be going both ways. julian, thank you. >> sure, thanks very much. on top of a meningitis outbreak, dozens more are sick from an outbreak of e. coli. health officials are trying to track down the source. and she became the full time mother of three. it was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page

and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] on gasoline. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪

at least two more drugs are being linked with deadly outbreak of meningitis. so for, more than 200 people are sick with this rare fungal disease. 15 have died. and now the fda says anyone taking drugs made at this compounding facility in massachusetts could also be at risk. in north carolina, an e. coli outbreak killed a 2-year-old and so far 37 people have gotten sick from this bacteria. it is being tied to a county fair there. a spokeswoman for the state health department says they still don't know yet where exactly this bacteria came from, but of the 37 people who are sick, 22 are children.

it takes a lot to stun wall street. but this morning that is precisely what happened because this man, vikram pandit, abruptly quit his job as ceo of citigroup. then his top aide, citi president john havens announced he's stepping down too. why did they leave? no word yet. pandit leased a statement saying it is the right time for someone else to take the reins. michael corbat named as the new ceo, but the swiftness of both resignations is fueling a lot of rumors, simmering tension among the board of directors. town hall debates, a risky move for the candidates. we'll look at that as we look ahead to this evening. plus, one poll suggests women are flocking to this man, mitt romney.

a town hall style debate offers up new and sometimes unexpected challenges for presidential candidates. i want to talk about this with gloria borger, our chief political analyst, and, gloria, i want to hear what you're looking forward to tonight. i want to hammer home this town hall debate. you have the candidates, they're surrounded by the circle of voters, asking the questions. just in terms of the risk factor, how risky is that? >> it is really risky because they have to deal with real voters, real people asking real questions. >> real people? >> oh, my god, that are -- and the questions can be kind of unexpected. and they can also be quite personal. if a journalist asks a question, it is going to be about policy. you know, these questions can be personal and they can demand personal answers. and i think that's where both of these candidates could run into some trouble, particularly mitt romney, who has been on the town

hall circuit, and it is sort of not his natural habitat. he's kind of messed up a few times. and the president is used to talking to these huge audiences, but kind of rusty when it comes to town halls. so i think there are downsides for both of them here. >> what about just looking at town hall debates past. i don't know what it is about this format, it makes news in terms of the candidates, george h.w. bush checking his watch and john mccain wandering around and al gore, i mean, why? >> wandering over. because they feel a little unrestrained. a town hall format kind of makes you want to walk around. now they're not allowed to walk around. it makes you want to engage more with the audience. so instead of talking directly into a tv camera as we saw joe biden do effectively last week, instead of talking into a tv camera, you're talking to somebody who is standing up and asking you a question.

also, there is more opportunity to kind of react. it is your full body language. it is not just seated or standing behind a podium. so there is a lot of different ways to look at these men tonight. as you know, body language tells us a lot about a candidate. or any of us. >> what about women? >> important. >> so important. >> important. >> you have this new poll in the swing states, 12 swing states, mitt romney made up a lot of ground among female voters. but other nationwide polls that find obama holding on to his long time lead. >> right. >> what is going on and, again, women are so important. >> it is very important. i had a long e-mail conversation with a senior obama adviser about this late last night, actually, because they believe very strongly that this recent gallup poll which showed them tied with mitt romney and the battleground states on women is an outliar. they are ahead in all of those other polls as you point out

with women substantially. they have been ahead anywhere between 7 and 11 points. women are the people that these candidates are going to be talking to tonight. it is not -- it is not that romney has to make up a huge deficit with women because he's winning with men. but what he has to do is gain some more women so, you know, so that he can -- he can win. george bush did it in 2004, for example, he still lost with women, not by a significant amount. he still won the election. so he's got to reduce that margin. so tonight you're going to hear them talking to suburban moms, moms who have not yet decided definitely. and, bit way, women, imagine this, are late deciders in electi elections. i don't know how that could be. we wait, we get all the info and then we make our decision. >> we stand by our choice. we stand by our choices. >> right. but so what they found out there

is that a lot of these women saw mitt romney as he was portrayed in millions and millions of dollars worth of ads over the summer, and they took a look and said, gee, that's not the guy i saw. what the president has to do tonight is say, mitt romney wasn't telling the truth last week in that debate, without actually saying that he was a liar. so he's going to have to point that out tonight. that moderate mitt romney you saw, that's not the real mitt romney. that's the president's challenge tonight for the voters. >> i have a whole conversation on that precise thing coming up in just a little bit. gloria borger, we appreciate it, we'll listen for the female comments, tapping into the female electorate this evening. thank you. as we watch the debate tonight there are five very important points, you know, you should keep an eye out for. we'll tell you what they are, coming up. plus, this morning, i stumbled upon this, this picture that quite frankly stunned me.

why this photo has landed one teacher in some very hot water. don't miss this. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪

and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well. at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke.

we have an update for you on that pakistani school girl who was shot point blank in her head by the taliban. british doctors who are now treating 14-year-old malala yousufzai at a hospital in birmingham say they're impressed by her resilience and strength. but warn she still has a very long way to go. and then there is this from overnight. police in birmingham say two so-called well wishers were stopped as they tried to get inside the hospital to see this young girl. the hospital's director says the intruders were probably just being overcurious, but security is very, very tight there as you can imagine, following taliban threats to try again to kill this girl. today, by the way, marks one week since that taliban gunman boarded malala's school bus, in pakistan, called her out by name, and fired three shots at

her, all for being an advocate for girls getting an education. more than a thousand mourners were expected at the funeral for pennsylvania's longest serving u.s. senator, arlen specter. the services outside philadelphia began a couple of hours ago. and among those in attendance, vice president joe biden, senator specter, a well known moderate, served in the senate for three decades. he died on sunday. george mcgovern is in hospice care. >> the question is not are we better off than we were four years ago, the question is where will america be four years from now? >> that was mcgovern in 1984. he is best known as the 1972 democratic presidential nominee who ran an unsuccessful campaign against incumbent richard nixon.

the 90-year-old stayed very active in politics for decades and then focused on hunger around the world. in fact, president clinton appointed him ambassador to the u.n. food and agricultural organization. mcgovern later became the u.n.'s first global ambassador for hunger. and now to this photo i'm talking about. taking car pooling to the extreme. look at this. look very closely at that back glass in the car. folks, there are 19 children crammed into this automobile. and who says hatchbacks aren't spacious? the woman you see there, yeah, she's a teacher. a teacher. she was pulled over by police. this is in south africa while heading home from a field trip. she says she already hauled the other half of the class back to school, the same way. she was fined $160. 19 kids smooshed in a car. there are five specific things you should keep an eye out tonight during this debate.

we have hamby, staeinhauser, lie next with them. e than ford. and this workhorse gives you the power of a v8 with the highway fuel economy of a v6. incredible! right? an amazing test drive. i agree. [ male announcer ] it's chevy truck month. now during chevy truck month, get 0% apr financing for 60 months or trade up to get the 2012 chevy silverado all-star edition with a total value of $8,000. hurry in before they're all gone! stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?!

we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

let me take you back to debate number one. mitt romney lectures barack obama and the president stands there and he takes it. >> you said you get a deduction for taking a plant overseas. i've been in business for 25 years, i have no idea what you're talking about. i maybe need to get a new accountant, but the idea that you -- >> that was october 3rd, in denver, tonight as we mentioned, different deal, this town hall moderated by our own candy crowley, 9:00 eastern time is when this thing kicks off. our coverage begins at 7:00 eastern time hempstead, new york. live from the cnn tonight debate we have paul steinhauser and peter hamby. welcome. i'm staring at your article here on cnn.com. five things to watch for in tuesday's debate. first to you, paul steinhauser,

let's begin with this. you talk about connecting with the audience. we know there is a live audience there. how do they connect? >> this is the key, i think the person who connects the -- the candidate who connects bet we are -- better with the audience, connects better with the people across the country and wins the debate. how do you do that? you got to talk with the audience, engage with the audience. the first town hall in 1992, george herbert walker bush didn't really do that. the key here is to connect with the audience, talk to the audience. we were talking romney campaign officials and they're confident. they say mitt romney has done a bunch of these town hall formats over the last year and a half. they think he'll do well tonight. >> we were talking with gloria borger and seeing the polls tonight, women voters are very, very important. they have to sort of work in these women issues as you point out in this piece, issues like abortion and contraception.

why do they do that and how do they do that? >> think about last debate, the vice presidential debate, toward the end when paul ryan gave an answer about how the romney campaign and paul ryan himself opposed abortion rights, the female dial testing dipped off in our cnn dial testing. that happened in 2008 with john mccain when it came up in a debate. look, the obama campaign is surviving now based on their hold on african-american voters, latinos and women, particularly suburban, college educated women. you talked about with gloria that gallup poll that the obama campaign attacked calling it an outliar, saying there is no way that obama and romney are tied among women voters. if that is true, though, and if that holds, if it is not an outlie, the obama campaign has a right to be terrified. that would mean obama was going to lose. if women voter s -- it place imperative to talk about issues important to women, reproductive

rights, contraception, education, child care. obama will try to force those things into the conversation to maintain his hold on women voters, brooke. >> what about this? this is another point you both make. we talk about the october surprise. you're talking with regard to the debate tonight as the wild card. watch out for the wild card. what do you mean by that? >> well, tonight, you know, the format is different. you talked about it. there is 80 undecided voters from nassau county here in the room, coming up with the questions. the questions won't be created by the moderator. so that raises the potential that, you know, a voter could ask about something that hasn't been in the conversation that much during the campaign, not the economy, not foreign policy, maybe we'll get a question about affirmative action, guns, instant replay in baseball, who knows. these things might come up and they have the potential to throw one of the candidates off their game. in 2004, george w. bush was

asked, name three things, three mistakes you made. and bush could only name one. and that sort of made some news for a couple of days there. maybe something like that will happen tonight, haussteinhauser laughing. what is the wild card question. enjoy it. i'm jealous you're there. we'll all be watching tonight when that debate begins income this evening eastern. we'll show you ten ways cnn is forever changing the way americans watch debates, including tonight's. anncr: every president inherits challenges. few have faced so many. four years later... our enemies have been brought to justice. our heroes are coming home.

assembly lines are humming again. there are still challenges to meet. children to educate. a middle class to rebuild. but the last thing we should do is turn back now. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message.

sure, you can see them anywhere. tv, online, on your phone. but the presidential debates are pretty different this time around, allowing you the viewer an interactive feel you didn't have four years ago. alex wellen, welcome. >> nice to see you. >> nice to see you on tv here. >> i know. i came out of retirement. >> this is the guy who works at cnn.com who is going to help us

figure out the new way we watch television, right? >> a team of people, yes. >> a team of people at cnn.com. before we get into that, let's talk about tonight. as we're watching candy crowley moderate this town hall debate at hofstra university, there are new cool things we as fans of cnn.com will be able to click on, click around on the website. >> the most important thing is that you can only do them on cnn, there are things we -- >> only cnn. >> the feed exists in a lot of different places, but because we have candy and because we have the internet, so -- >> show me. >> this should look familiar to people. i'll bring that out. you're actually watching it online right now. you can watch back all the debates online. we put them at cnn.com/debate. but look at this here. on the bottom of the screen, on tv, on mobile, on desktops, you'll be able to see what undecided voters -- >> people are tweeting me, brooke, what are the squiggly lines. >> we're seeing how people are responding, men and women alike, undecided voters who will be so important this election to both the candidates. also, if you back up here and, again, this is on the web and on

tv, we keep them honest. we're tracking how much time each of them get. >> to speak. >> right. you won't see that elsewhere. we're carefully tracking each person's time and then also the other important thing is we list the question. >> so nice. sometimes they go off and you're like what is the question that was asked, that's my favorite part about the whole thing. life that. >> they have their scripts and they know what to talk about. that's -- i think those are important things for people to watch. >> what about the clip and share? >> so that is in the on the site. it will be tonight. we can give you a sneak peek because you guys are so cool. >> look at that, that's us. >> that's cool. >> a little bit -- this is what is happening on air and happening during the debate. this is the home page of cnn.com. that's the huge player. that just happened a second ago. that's us. what is so incredible and this illustrates it so well you can share what is happening at that moment. this player on the poem page, we have closed captioning, so people who need closed captioning, who want closed

captioning, this is something we added in a short amount of time. in addition to that, if you come half an hour late, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, you can scrub all the way back to the beginning. >> my own personal dvr. >> right. usually it is like a few minutes. this can go back an hour, an hour and a half. this is really hot. if i hit clip and share, right off the home page, it grabs the moment that just happened. look this is the moment and the moment inside the moment, right? >> alex wellen, get out of here. >> the team worked on this. i hit share on facebook. >> because what i love about watching this debate, i'm texting, i'm tweeting, people are facebooking and, you're, like, did you see that moment when he said this? and you can show them. >> you can show them the exact moment. if i say share that link, i click that, see if it likes me, this is pretty high stakes, and we'll go to my facebook page. come on. there we re, rigare, right? i refresh the page. i go to my page. that just happened.

now if we -- look there is the moment we just watched. we just had that happen and we shared that moment. if we scroll up a little bit, we can show people what happened at that moment. look at that. >> alex wellen, this will all be happening tonight for first time on cnn.com. >> we have done it for each debate, but only on cnn and from 7:00 to 12:30 at cnn.com/debates or on tv or mobile device or cnn.com. >> thank you. we appreciate it. we'll be right back. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

[ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. of course, some stories are bigger than others. a story. okay guys, here we go. everybody say, 'cheeeeeeeee-eeeeeese'. got it.

how about this one? this 15-year-old girl, 15, just bought a house. this is her second home. in fact, how? kim brown from our cnn affiliate wbbh has her story. >> reporter: there is a new landlord on the block in port charlotte this girl on the scooter, 15-year-old willow tufano. >> i'm so glad we finally have

it. >> reporter: she just bought this house on girouard court for $19,000 as an investment. they're getting a look inside. >> here is the bathroom. >> reporter: and starting to remodel. this isn't new to willow. it is the second house she's bought this year. first bought back in march this hobby even landed her in the national spotlight, a team of independent producers are traveling with the family to film for a possible reality show. >> she is definitely a kid, but also has a business side to her. >> reporter: her mom says she's willow's partner in the purchase. she puts up half and pays mom back later. everything from the ceiling to the door will need to be fixed up and willow is using a gift card to do it all. since she's old enough to own a house on her own, mom will turn the title over when she's 18. >> this is the closing statement. >> reporter: she's learning the ropes about keeping the homes filled, dealing with tenants and the value of a dollar. >> i wanted to buy a shed for the backyard, she's like, no, way, that's like $1500. we're not going there. just scratch that off your list. >> reporter: the plan is to charge $800 for rent. she uses some of that money to

pay for future homes along with selling some of her belongings on craigslist. she set a goal of buying ten houses by the time she's 18. setting her up for a career in real estate. >> i can do it. it sounds like it is not rational, but it is possible. >> reporter: after they fix up this home, it is off to look for house number three. and we continue on. good to have you with me. i'm brooke baldwin. count them with me. six hours now from debate number two. presidential debate number two. our live coverage begins here on cnn at 7:00 eastern. candy crowley will be moderating this evening again. this is a town hall format. and i want to start this hour with a quick look, there he is, at the president, obviously, a lot of pressure on him tonight. this is barack obama arriving in new york, where he will square off this evening with mitt romney on the campus of hofstra university. and now to this. here is the president out for a stroll this morning. let's listen in. >> mr. president, are you ready

for tonight? how are you feeling about tonight? >> i feel fabulous. it is a beautiful day. >> so the president is feeling fabulous. and that is a bit of a contrast to what he said before debate number one. remember that? he complained to words, it was a drag. well, we know how that went. as for mitt romney, moments ago, his motorcade arriving at hofstra university. there it is. dana bash is live for us now on campus at hofstra. dana, we are going to talk about that debate in just a second. first, let's look at the surprising poll this is from usa today and gallup, it shows obama and romney running virtually dead even among women, this is women in 12 swing states. dana, we have seen the president running far ahead of romney among female voters. if you look at these other polls, these are the nationwide polls, couple of them here, obama is still leading romney among women by seven points or

more. question to you is why is this? what accounts for the jump toward romney of women in the 12 swing states. any clue? >> reporter: it is an outliar poll when you look at that. even not just nationallyt gallup poll versus other national polls that are polling in the swing states. as you can imagine, the obama campaign is really trying to poke holes in the methodology the gallup has been using, saying it is not accurate. and the romney campaign are saying this is so encouraging because it looks like mitt romney is narrowing the gender gap, which is so, so important. so, you know, i think it will be unclear until we see a few more days of this poll and see if it is matched in other national polls, but so far it is an outliar. but just at for our viewers why we're talking about this is because women are so, so important when it comes to winning an election on a presidential level. any level.

because women tend to vote for. they also according to many pollsters send to break the latest. they decide late. and there has been historically such a huge gender gap and that is so in this campaign. >> we'll look for women issues coming up, abortion, contraception, from both of these kennedycandidates, and th town hall style debate, candy crowley out there moderating. this is at dinam frinamic from first presidential debate. >> reporter: the candidates are going to be poised to go after one another. the name of the game for both of them is to connect with the voters who are asking the questions. and that is important for many reasons, but first and foremost because actually both of them, mostly mitt romney, but both of them kind ofing disconnected. and when it comes to romney in particular, his aides know he really has to kind of sell the

fact that he does care about people like me and you and he does understand the problems that people are having out there. this is his real chance not to just take it, but to show it. i want to give you one little piece of color. and that is, according to a romney aide, how they prepare differently for a town hall than other debates, they'll be sitting on stools. we're told the governor had to practice getting up on the stool because he's not used to sitting on a stool. he's a mormon. doesn't go to bars. doesn't hang out on stools very much this is -- it actually sounds inconsequential, but it isn't. it shows you also they're not leaving any detail to chance. nothing is too small to focus on when it comes to the imagery and the stage craft for these candidates. >> now we're all going to be watching mitt romney climbing up on that stool tonight. thanks to you, dana bash. thank you. to washington now to our chief national correspondent,

john king. you got an interesting piece on cnn.com today. i want to read a quote from democratic pollster peter hart, says, quote, voters need to see the fight, the inspiration and the grittiness of obama which they perceive is just plain missing. and you have to wonder, john king, how in the world did that happen? >> let me start by saying, brooke, i'm one of the most experienced stool people in the united states of america. i have a lot of experience when it comes to stools. that's a fascinating point. peter hart is veteran democratic pollster, not a republican saying this, a veteran democrat who wants president obama to win the election. he did a focus group in the columb columbus, ohio, suburbs and said people were shocked. swing voters were shocked. where is the president? why does that matter? because people's legs are tired. they're deciding whether or not it keep the president for four more years. they're tired of slogging through the tough economy and they wanted to not only see him lay out a road map for four years, which he did not do first debate, he defended the last four years, but didn't give people a clear sense of where he was going, but they saw no fight, no spunk in him and they

want someone to fight, fight to create jobs. a lot of swing voters and peter is one of them, saying people looked at the president and said, if you're not willing to fight in debate, i'm worried if you're going to fight for me, maybe you shouldn't get the job back. >> the campaign has reached a tipping point, voters are not looking for continuity but change that helps the average joe. you know, that doesn't bode well for the president. how does an incumbent president, you know, present himself or herself as the candidate of change? >> what a change from four years ago too, when change was the coin of the obama realm. now he's the incumbent president as you know. i'll read one more line. he says the starting point is a strong desire, not modest changes in the country and the way we govern ourselves. that's not encouraging to any incumbent, especially an incumbent into the first debate and left not only independent

voters, but many of his own supporters depond end and down saying where are you taking us, mr. president. g governor romney explained where he wanted to go, a much better job than president obama did and democrats say governor romney did such a good job because of most what he said was unchallenged by the president. the first debate without a doubt was race changing. battleground state to battleground state to battleground state, it was race changing. i would have told you a week ago, close race, advantage obama. i say close race, slight advantage romney. the question is whether the president can use the second debate to change the race again and a lot of democrats are nervous thinking he better. >> before i let you go, let's talk pennsylvania. we saw ann romney speaking it a lot of women. here are the new numbers. this has the president's lead there having shrunk to four points. four-point advantage. just 12 points last month. and wasn't even one of those tossup states that we have been talking so much about. you write pennsylvania, maybe

michigan, could be in play here. >> could be in play. there are sometimes mirages in the deserts of presidential politics. the campaigns say whoa right now, the owe bauchlia campaign saying do we have to go there, spend time in pennsylvania, do we have to spend precious resources on television ads, do we have to gin up our turnout operation. the romney campaign is looking at its path and says do we want to expand the map and spend money there. the election is three weeks from today. any decision you make about time and money, you can't get it back. both campaigns are going to watch tomorrow and the next day and the next day. if you see pennsylvania and michigan still tight, every now and then you get a poll, states go back to their presidential dna. michigan and pennsylvania have deep blue dna. if they're purple, closer to election day, that is another piece of evidence that the map has changed in governor romney's favor. >> john king, wow. three weeks from today to that election. john, thank you.

>> who's counting? >> we all are. round two happening tonight, candy crowley moderating the debate this evening. special coverage here at cnn, 7:00 eastern. hope you join us. something that may come up this evening, the fact that secretary of state hillary clinton is now saying the buck stops with her when it comes to security at the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi, libya. you know the story. u.s. ambassador chris stevens, three other americans died on that attack back on september 11th. and i want to bring in fareed zakaria to talk about this. he's the host of "fareed zakaria gps." nice to see you back on the show. i've been challenging lawmakers, surrogates on what the administration knew when it came to benghazi, how they reacted and hillary clinton has been kind of quiet until now and here she is, the night before the debate in lima, peru, says what she does to a number of networks including us. but this is all politics, is it

not? >> it is about politics. but it doesn't change the fact that what she said is probably quite accurate. look, what we're talking about here is whether a request for security that came from the consulate in benghazi this is one of the 275 diplomatic outposts the united states has, whether that went up to the white house. the answer is obviously no. in fact, i would say it is also true they didn't get to the secretary of state th. this is probably dealt with by an assistant secretary or undersecretary but she's making the point, to the extent she runs the state department, all 60,000 people, she's responsible and takes responsibility for it. but it did not go to the white house and so it is in fact true that they didn't know that there were requests. i think that's a separate issue from whether or not the white house handled the crisis after the ambassador was killed, whether or not they were

entirely honest, whether they didn't know what had happened. in a sense, these are two separate issues. crisis management of what happened after the ambassador was killed, and the events leading up to the violence and the requests for security. on that piece of it, i think hillary clinton is quite accurate. >> okay. libya, certainly will come up tonight. i want to move past libya, though, to the obama administration's policies toward syria and the middle east. i want to quote florida senator marco rubio, criticizing the empty rhetoric, his words. this is why iran is more deeply than ever involved in arming and provide providing financial support to al assad, why russia makes a mockery of obama's reset by supplying currency for al assad and why russia and china continue to stifle u.s., arab and european efforts at the united nations. when you hear that, when you hear that criticism, fareed, is

it fair? >> i think this is purely campaign rhetoric. the syrian situation is very complicated, not entirely clear how to handle it. it is a very, very sad, tragic, humanitarian catastrophe, causing regional instability. but what does senator rubio propose? when vice president biden challenged congressman ryan at the debate, do you want u.s. intervention there. if you don't want u.s. intervention, what should we do? do you want to try to get some kind of sanctions embargo, no fly zones? for all of that, you need other countries to help you, which means you need the arab league to sanction it or request it as they did in libya or the u.n. to do so, which they did in libya, or are you saying you want a unilateral american no fly zone, which means the united states alone shoots down planes and things like that. when you push people and ask them what is it they would do different from what is the current policy, you don't get a

lot of specifics, you get a lot of hot air and rhetorical stuff, but the truth is our options are pretty -- syria is the land of lousy options. it is not clear what we could do that is very different from what the obama administration is doing. >> on either side. we heard mitt romney at vmi talking about how syrian rebels should be armed but no specifics as far as who should then arm them. so again, syria as you point out is tough. it's tough. >> he says they should be armed, not by us, but by others. how do you figure that out in the midst of a civil war. >> all good points. i want to talk about this special, your special coming up sunday, talk to me about green power. what are you looking at? >> what we're looking at is, you know, the candidates both want energy independence. and what is strange is we're sort of going to get it, but almost despite what is going on in the politics, no matter who is president, the united states

is on the verge of this huge energy boom which is, you know this new revolution, this technological revolution, we were expecting it in solar and wind. instead we have it in shale and deep water, oil. and it is going to be this enormous boom for the united states. what we argue in the special is that should be the bridge technology to get eventually to the cleaner, greener future that we all have been looking for. we look at a lot of countries around the world from denmark to france, believe it or not, france gets 75% of its electricity with zero carbon emissions because they use nuclear power. so we try to look at best practices around the world. >> it is called global lessons, the gps road map for powering america. airs sunday night, 8:00 eastern here on cnn. thank you. always a pleasure. >> pleasure. as a teenage girl clings to life, one activists

challenging president obama and mitt romney to address the surge. what's behind romney's surge in the polls? that's easy. he's moving to the middle. so says one half of his political power couple. they join me live. plus, we can fact check all we want. but i'll speak live with one expert who says facts apparently don't matter anymore. and -- >> you have 72 hours to get them out. >> "argo," lincoln, bin laden, how hollywood is coming to an election booth near you. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones.

but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy.

by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone is ready with the know-how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪

so i brought it to mike at meineke. we gave her car a free road handling check. i like free. free is good. my money. my choice. my meineke. i know so many of you are following the story about the 14-year-old pakistani school girl who was shot point blank. so british doctors treating

malala yousufzai say they are impressed by her resilience and strength, but they warn she has quite a ways to go. then there is this. news from overnight. police in this city say two so-called well wishers were stopped as they tried to get inside this hospital to apparently try to see this young girl. the hospital's director says the intruders were probably just being, to quote him, overcurious, but security is tight there, of course, following the taliban threats to try again to kill the girl. today marks one week since that taliban gunman boarded malala's school bus, called her out by name, fired three shots at her, all for being an advocate for girls getting an education. i want to bring in suzanne nasil of amnesty international usa. she's written this opinion piece asking mitt romney and barack obama to bring this young woman up during tonight's debate.

welcome. and the title of your piece, candidates answer the malala question. what is the malala question? >> the malala question is what specific concrete steps can and must be taken to protect and stand with women whose rights and whose security is in jeopardy now because of the taliban. the world has been captivated by this case of malala, her life now hanging in the balance. but there are more than 18 million women in the region, in pakistan, and the swat valley and in afghanistan who rat risk from the taliban, who are standing up for themselves who are demanding an education who are moving into the professions and who are going to need the help of the international community so that they continue to enjoy their rights. so it is an important question for the candidates to answer. they're both looking to pick up and keep the votes of women, so i hope we have this conversation tonight. >> so much to talk about women

and here is this 14-year-old girl in this hospital, right in engla england, fighting for her life. you mensed gi mentioned girls a education. 3 million girls go school, women make up 20% of university grads, certainly under the taliban rule, that number was zero. i want to play an interview here that was just obtained exclusively by cnn's reza sayah who reports for us from pakistan with another young girl who was wounded with malala. let's listen to that. >> do you regret standing up against the taliban now that you've been hurt? >> translator: no, sir, i don't regret it. god willing i will continue my education. >> what do you want the world to know? >> translator: girls education here is more important than boys because boys can have any jobs they want here, but girls cannot. i want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education. >> so here she is, suzanne,

speaking from this, don't know what that was, a hospital bad perhaps, saying she'll continue to fight. i have to juxtapose that with americans who have war fatigue, our troops have been in there for a decade, what are you asking people to do? >> this is not about prolonging the war. this is about taking concrete steps to stand with the women who are demanding their rights. that woman is so courageous, lying there on a gurney, saying shows going to continue. astonishing. this shot of malala, shooting assault on her, is really a shot that should be heard around the world. and the kind of steps that we're demanding now include setting aside funding so we're sure that these amazing women's groups and organizations that have sprung up over the last decade can continue their operations, that they have control over the resources, that they need to continue to operate and serve other women the way they're doing so effectively.

we're demanding that women's quotas for participation politically and in parliament are sustained and we talked to afghan women and what they say is outside pressure does matter. it is true that there is not limitless leverage. these aren't easy issues to resolve. but the outside pressure, they say, is absolutely necessary. and another issue we're focused on is women's involvement in policing and the military. because those responsibilities are being turned over to the afghan government. and it is vitally important that women participate that they are trained, equipped, empowered to play a role in policing and ensuring the security of other women and of whole communities. >> you want outside help. you talk about wanting -- whether either of the candidates, congress to enact legislation. we have to point out, it is not just the u.s. pakistan and afghanistan too have to step up as well. suzanne, i want to encourage everyone to read your piece. go to cnn.com/opinion.

thank you. >> thank you. today, a surprise on wall street. a top ceo, one of the men at the center of that bank bailout decides to up and call it quits. why? next. goals. take the steps to reach yours, with us with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps, to little steps. since 1863 we've helped guide our clients, so they can take the steps to help grow, preserve, and pass along their wealth. so their footsteps can help the next generation find their own path. all of us serving you. us bank bp has paid overthe people of bp twenty-threeitment to the gulf. billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else.

we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist. there's a range of plans to choose from, too.

and they all travel with you. anywhere in the country. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. call today. remember, medicare supplement insurance helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay -- expenses that could really add up. these kinds of plans could save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs... you'll be able choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. and you never need referrals. so don't wait. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. this easy-to-understand guide

will answer some of your questions, and help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you. it takes a lot to stun wall street. but this morning, that's exactly what happened. take a look at this man. vikram pandit abruptly quit his job as ceo of citigroup and his top aide tom havens is stepping down too. why did they leave? no word yet. but pandit released a statement saying it is the right time for someone else to take the reins. citigroup veteran michael corbat has been named the new ceo. four baby boomers early retirement is key, when you retire, is it okay to carry some credit card debt? that is one of the questions and we have help desk here to help answer that question.

alison kosik, hello. >> hi there. here on the help desk we're talking about paying down debt before retirement. with me this hour are liz miller and greg mcbride. listen to this question. when you retire, should you get rid of credit card debt or is it okay to have some? >> we all carry credit card debt, come on. >> get rid of the credit card debt regardless of your age, it is very high cost debt. don't fall for the misperception you have to carry debt to maintain a credit score. i think it is important that you get rid of that debt, but continue to use the credit card for a token purchase every month or so, pay the balance in full, just so you can maintain a high credit score. don't carry any credit card debt. >> that's a great idea, right? >> i agree completely t has nothing to do with age. we need to all use credit cards responsibly no matter the age. the fact you're retiring isn't going to change that. spending habits shouldn't change that dramatically, and if you used a credit card responsibly before, by all means keep doing t your credit score can come

from a lot of different sources. i talk to people about one of best sources is a well paid off car loan to maintain a good credit score. >> exactly. you can prove it that way, right? okay, great. if you have an issue you want our experts to tackle, upload a 30-second video to ireport.com. >> alison kosik, thank you. back to politics. john avalon says mitt romney is telling people just what they want to hear. but will that win him the white house? we'll talk to john and his wife, margaret hoover, there they are, coupled up in new york. they're next. ally bank. why they're always there to talk. i love you, james. don't you love me? i'm a robot. i know. i know you're a robot!

but there's more in you than just circuits and wires! uhhh. (cries) a machine can't give you what a person can. that's why ally has knowledgeable people there for you, night and day. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

mitt romney marched to the right in pursuit of the republican nomination. but john avalon says he didn't attract independents until he started marching more toward the middle. john avalon, want to welcome you and margaret hoover, i should say my political couple here in

new york. john is a cnn krcontributor and margaret is a cnn political contributor and republican consultant. welcome back. and john avalon, i love the image are with the war shack test. at the moment, mitt romney is rorschach test with voter seeing what they want to see. this is the secret to his surge in the polls since the first presidential debate. rorschach 101, here it is, got a rorschach test, the inkblots. you look at that and you see what you want to see, right? the whole point is that it is in the eye of the beholder. john avalon, i thought we wanted our presidents to have principles. >> what? that's so old-fashioned, brooke. i mean, you know this is the real question of mitt romney's candidacy, though. it is not just that he leisure chd to the right while running for president, he's been two entirely separate political people. first when he was running and governing in massachusetts in

2002, was a proud self-described progressive republican. then he began running for president and he portrayed himself as a severe conservative. it is not just a matter of labels, it is a matter of policies. he didn't just evolve on policies, he did a 180. and now he started succeeding in the debates, getting traction in the polls. in the last debate where he very intelligently pulled out the etch-a-sketch and moved back to the center. swing voters started giving him a second look. that's his secret. very effective. question is what it is based on. >> mitt romney is your guy. what do you say to the people who say here he is flip-flopping, he was on one end of the spectrum early on, now he's moderate mitt. how do you defend him? >> we're talking about respectfully my husband's article which i'll put out there for the viewer, i fundamentally agree with the premise of the article. mitt romney surged in the polls

because he's reinvented himself as a moderate from massachusetts that will be likable to voters. if you go to the polls that show mitt romney is closing the gap, you see the place he's closing it is on issues like debt and deficits and the economy. these are the issues kitchen table issues, economic issues that women care about and independents care about and that frankly when mitt romney showed up at the debate ten days ago, they thought he would be a very different person based on the bad and negative portrayal of him over the summer by the obama campaign. he seemed relatable. he made sense on his tax policies. they -- >> but -- >> i don't see this 180 degree shift my husband is characterizing. i see this as -- >> here is the issue. the issue has always been the romney ryan takes its strongest suit. that's consistent in polls. mitt romney starts talking about bipartisanship again. he starts harkening back the

time he was governor. he came close it talking about his health care plan which he subsequently -- which is the basis of obama's health care. >> i see you, margaret hoover. i have to say, john avalon, you pointed this catch-22, this is all well and great, the fact he's moving more toward being a moderate, many disagree with that, that is a good thing perhaps for some of the swing voters, independent voters. then you point out it goes against conservative chapter and verse, which a centrist republican candidate guarantees an election lost. so what then? >> this is the fundamental problem that i think the conservatives have to reconcile. look, the problem with our politics is they become more polarized. people treating politics like a religion, and a cult of conservatism. they want to make sure every candidate checks every lit must test issue box. that hurts candidates ability to

reach out to the center. it is not an accident when mitt goes back to the center, he did well with centrists. conservatives have to come to terms with that and the republican party will if they want to reach out and be a governing majority. >> you can pinch your husband live on tv. >> as the person in this couple that calls themselves a conservative, i think i have more authority to talk about conservatives. you're talking like it is a monolithic bunch. this is a very diverse faction within the conservative movement and what i hear from the romney campaign and heard it as recently as last night is that economic conservatism, fiscal conservatism, fiscal issues, economic responsibility, strong monetary policy, lowering -- this is the strongest tent within the big tent of the conservative movement. that's how they're going to bring all the coalition together. what you refer to conservative, you're thinking about social

conservative. >> yes, i am. >> you're not talking about economic conservatives. >> we have to go. i am curious, when we are finished with the chats, do you walk away from one another and cool off and come back or -- >> no, no, no. >> we saved it for you, though. we didn't talk about this before we came on. >> john avalon. >> we'll report back tomorrow. >> we appreciate it. thank you, both, so much. i love talking to the two of them. round two, president obama mitt romney tonight and candy crowley moderating the town hall debate this evening. tune into cnn. our coverage begins at 7:00 eastern. now to this you would think this is something out of a sci-fi movie. but this is for real. a new planet named ph 1 and its size and multiple suns trump earth. chad myers is on it, of course.

when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally.

this next story is when reality trumps science fiction. a new planet one ups this scene

from star wars. luke skywalker walks beneath two suns setting on his planet. this new planet has four suns. and was even cooler, two amateurs found this planet. named it ph-1, six times larger than the planet earth. two regular folks just minding their own business. found a planet. >> and named it something we can say. >> ph-1. >> not some long name we can't pronounce. >> when you find a planet, no offense, but ph-1. >> planet hunters.org. you can go on there and find your own planet. >> you can just -- >> they have the keck observatory, looking for dark spots going across stars, across suns. this particular planet has four

suns. the suns are actually rotating around each other and the planet is caught in the middle. sun to left of me, sun to the right, here i am stuck in the middle with you. that will be stuck in your head for rest of the day. i'm sorry. four suns and this planet. and the cool thing is that it was completely by accident. amateurs found it, overlooked by computers. that's why they're putting this out there. the computers are looking at the sequence -- they found the dim of the star, knew the planet got in the way. that's why it dims. found it automatically. >> if i find a planet, i'll dedicate it after you. >> brooke b. >> back to politics, candidates who stretch the truth. what? manipulate the facts? we heard the fair share this political season. do facts matter anymore? my next guest says apparently not. nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what?

[ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts... ♪

into a high-tech masterpiece? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. whatever your business challenge, energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas.

the ads, the polls, the candidates, fact checking is a staple of election time. mitt romney and president obama have been burned by and benefitted from fact checking. sometimes in the most unexpected ways. >> every outlet said this is just not true. and they were asked about it and they said, one of their campaign people said, we won't have the fact checkers dictate our campaign. we will not let the truth get in the way. >> but want to know the truth behind fact checking? it doesn't matter because you the voter apparently are not swayed by it, at least so suggests princeton professor julian zalazar in this article named "do facts matter." i can feel the people on twitter yelling at me for saying, yes,

brooke, facts do matter. you write about how the candidates are stretching the truth, manipulating the facts. i think stephen colbert in his words truthiness here. how are the politicians able to get away with it? >> that's the question. you have the proliferation of fact checkers and outlets telling you all the data that you need to analyze what candidates say, but as we just heard and we hear from both sides, the candidates still stretch the truth. i think we're in an environment where there are more facts out there, but people are having trouble distinguishing between partisan facts and independent facts. >> i want to get to the discernment in a moment. in this day and age, we here at cnn have our own fact checkers, people online watching debates, live blogging, fact checking the facts that come out of either candidate's mouth. there is little impact when it comes to public outrage as you point out in your piece.

why aren't there consequences for lying? >> well, part of it, of course, is for 30 years now all the polls have shown that people just don't trust government and they don't trust politicians. every since watergate happened, public esteem for government is very low. i think when we reseem someone is not telling the truth, they try it generate outrage in a culture that expects the worst from its leaders. >> let me quote you, you blame not only talking about things like watergate, but partisanship. you write, quote, perhaps one of the worst effects of partisanship, however, has been the fact that the truth is much harder to discern and in many cases voters don't even expect it. the public lives in a world where it seems impossible to know what is fact and what is partisan fiction. so let's just take away if malaise is the right word, but the lack of trust in government and ask you how is american

voter supposed to discern between what is fact and what is fiction, politically speaking? >> it is virtually impossible. we see in all the media there is more -- >> that is really sad. >> or that are more liberal and there is more organizations that are putting information out there from both perspectives. you have more outs, more information hitting you. for a voter wants to know what was president obama or mitt romney said about the budget true, they might turn on the tv or the radio, and they'll find many voices, many they know are partisan, they will shrug their shoulders walking away. >> you can read his piece at cnn.com/opinion. julian, i appreciate you coming in, talking to me from princeton university and to you watching. i'm seeing my tweets. do let me know what you think. send me a tweet @brookeb at

cnn.com. coming up, new movies, all with the political themes, releasing as voters get ready to head to the polls. [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression

or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

in hollywood especially timing is everything. some films are specifically

designed to coincide with election season. and some films are purposely postponed not to interfere with it. and then once in a while a film becomes intertwined with the election totally by accident. cnn's kareen wynter joins me from los angeles. i want to see this film called "argo" details the story of a 1979 iranian hostage crisis. this comes weeks of course after what happened in benghazi and this is all just sort of coincidental, is it not? >> you know, it is. but certainly not intentional. ben afleck told me he didn't want to make a political film, but unless producers had some sort of crystal ball, there's no way they could have known that "argo" would come just a month after the deadly attack on a u.s. diplomat in libya, an

incident that's raised so many concerns over security. agents shout they need more security while under attack. and cnn's been reporting secretary of state hillary clinton tried to douse a big political fire storm monday for taking responsibility of u.s. diplomats security also saying neither the president nor vice president would be knowledgeable of security decisions at that level. with that, brooke, it's safe to say the administration didn't want a dramatic portrayal of a u.s. embassy under attack hit theaters a month before the election. as for the film it's gotten great reviews and earned $20 million coming in second over the weekend, brooke. >> it's on my list for sure. add to "argo," "zero dark 30." we talked about this. it chronicles the hunt for osama bin laden. it has moved back its release date even you know farther away from the election. why is that? is that a political reason?

>> well, there are so many reports out there. but what we do know is even before it was shot, the movie got a whole lot of criticism from president obama's opponents. some of them arguing the movie just before the election something of this coming out would remind audiences of the president's decision to order the strike to kill bin laden, but the film is basically a study of the you think sung heroes, people behind the scenes and not a celebration of obama's decision. it was originally suppose today hit theaters before the election, but columbia pictures, brooke, the studio behind the film decided to push the release date to december. >> and finally, this movie "2016's obama's america," this was no accident. >> there is no doubt that the release before the election of that film you just mentioned, it was no accident. the movie was a surprise hit at

the box office. it took in more than $33 million. it hit dvd shelves today. i want to mention quickly another film, steven spielberg's film, two-time oscar winner steps into the role of the 16th president. and the movie chronicles lincoln's life in the civil war and efforts to abolish slavery. brooke, i don't know if you've seen the trailer, but he looks just like lincoln, just like lincoln. right-on. and i want to add that the trailer aired so many times on multiple networks and commercial breaks during the first debate between obama and mitt romney, we'll have to see if we see it this time around with the second debate coming up. >> daniel day lewis is phen phenomen phenomenal. coming up, new information on the deadly outbreak of meningitis. not only are there more victims today, now word of two more drugs linked to the deadly outbreak. where are we going?

just a second. just, just one second. ♪ get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. for wherever life takes you. and now qualified buyers can get 0% apr financing for 48 months on a 2012 cruze. ♪ so why exactly should that be of any interest to you? well, in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones.

but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. like the transatlantic cable that connected continents. and the panama canal that made our world a smaller place. we supported the marshall plan that helped europe regain its strength. and pioneered the atm, so you can get cash when you want it. it's been our privilege to back ideas like these, and the leaders behind them. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping people and their ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's time for medicare open enrollment. are you ready? time to compare plans and see what's new. you don't have to make changes, but it's good to look.

maybe you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. ♪ medicare open enrollment. now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare. ♪